Bloomingdales "From Italy with Love" Pop Up Shop

I hope everyone is enjoying their October! I was in the city last week, and popped in Bloomingdales, my favorite department store. I have been shopping here since I was a little girl, and it just has a special place in my heart and soul. 

They have an amazing pop-up going on now, "From Italy with Love il Mercato", until October 26th in store and online until October 31st. I made some purchases online but visiting in person was just so wonderful. It's a fantastic display, and they told me this pop-up changes monthly which is pretty cool. Let's take a peek: 

Walking into the shop, I got very excited! It is on the first floor of the store. 

Is this not SUBLIME ? The cake is a candle!! 

Love all this so much, being full Italian, I wanted everything! 

The items in the cases are handbags. 

The little tarts are candles too! 

I just adore this whole display 

Okay, so the bling olive oil caught my eye. It is Balsamoro White Balsamic Condiment with Gold Flakes and costs $599.00. What a housewarming gift that would make! 

The box in the front are candles, as a set are $199.00 but you could purchase separately as well. 

Some of these items are heavy, so makes more sense to purchase online as I did an olive oil. (not the bling one!) It is just such a fun shop, and the items range in price as well. There is something for everyone! I hope you enjoyed this little shopping trip with me to Bloomies! 

Bloomingdales

Lexington Ave and 59th Street NYC 

Pop-Up Shop open until 10/26/2024 and items online until 10/31/2024

** THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST***

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Ahoy NY Tours Virtual Italian Lunch Hour

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I wanted to share with you a lovely experience I recently had with our friends at Ahoy NY Tours which was a Virtual Italian Hour Lunch. It is so important to support small businesses at this time, and when they are also great people, it makes it very easy.  For the class, they send you the ingredients you need to make the recipe and then you get together on a Zoom call for a delightful afternoon/evening. We did some fun games as well on the call and chatted with each other which is so nice for those who have not seen many friends and family. 

I really LOVE the idea of the Holiday Cookie class, that would be great with a family and friends  group. 

Ahoy NY Tours has added quite a few virtual classes for you to enjoy and are great for getting your family together safely in this year of COVID 19. 

Virtual Experiences Holiday Cookie Class

Virtual Experiences Italian Lunch Hour

Virtual Experiences Italian Happy Hour and Party Games

Cookies from Ferrara Bakery in Little Italy are provided as your dessert 

They are probably some of the best cookies you will ever enjoy 

Pecorino Romano cheese which smells AMAZING right to your doorstep! 

Italian brand spaghetti is always the best kind, you will taste the difference 

There is our wonderful Chef, Liz, along with my Cacio E Pepe, which was so darn tasty. I learned a few things with this class even though I cooked with my Italian Mom all my life. I took the class on my Samsung tablet as am in need of a new laptop, but you don't need a laptop to do the class if you have a tablet. A phone works also but may be a bit small to watch the video. 

Ahoy NY Tours in person are just really so wonderful and they are now taking reservations for 2021 dates. It's so great to have someone take you around Little Italy and Chinatown, then you can go back on your own and explore more! 

Ahoy NY Tours also have available Food Kits and Snack Packs which make great holiday gifts. They are also wonderful for those like me who are missing their trips to NYC and would love to enjoy some delish food from the folks in Little Italy and Chinatown. It is great to support those businesses as well as they are all hurting with the tourists not being around as they normally would. 

I hope you enjoyed this little taste of a virtual tour, and consider giving it a try. It really is a fun time especially with family and friends you have not seen in a while. 

Please all be sure to stay safe and healthy. 

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Disclosure: I was provided a ticket for this virtual cooking class by Ahoy NY Tours and Tasting. There has been no monetary compensation for this post. I only recommend products that I feel will be of interest to my readers, and that I am truly impressed by. All opinions are my own. Thank you!! 

A Food Tour of the Village

Greenwich Village is really a fabulous place to walk around and enjoy the architecture as well as fantastic food options. How gorgeous is this door ? I am taking you today on a food tour of the village, something you can do by yourself, or with a group of friends. 

A purple door is my dream door! 

The flowers in the city are always so reasonably priced and so fresh, they have lasted me for 2 weeks when I have taken them home. 

Joe's Pizza is the one everyone talks about and I was curious if it was really that good. Sometimes you hear about places and you get there and it's not what you expect. 

This pizza was amazing! Very thin crust and the right amount of cheese and sauce. Worth standing in line for one piece or a whole pie! 

Next to Joe's is Popbar which is fantastic gelato, sorbet & yogurt popsicles to make your palate very happy! 

The only thing I am not a fan of is that wood stick but otherwise, this is a must stop! 

Faiccos has some of the BEST Italian foods, homemade sausage and is a must stop. 

Amazing Italian arancini (rice balls) stuffed with mozzarella and homemade salami. Life is good after you try these wonderful Italian treats! 

Gorgeous architecture 

Cornelia Street Cafe which has recently closed. It is very sad so many places that have been in business for many years closing due to high rents from landlords. 

Pesce Pasta is a fantastic spot for some of the best meatballs you will ever taste. My Mom used to tell me her mother made meatballs the size of footballs! I so wish I was able to meet her, she was an amazing cook just like my Mom.

These were so yummy and hardly any filler at all. 

Rafele is a really fantastic restaurant on 7th Avenue South for some top notch Italian food. Do you notice a pattern here? I have only spoke to one person who said they didn't like Italian food, and she was not actually someone I would consider a smart person! 

The inside decor is really lovely 

I tried some of the their eggplant parm which just melted in my mouth. I hate when I order eggplant and it's still raw! One of my pet peeves! 

I have heard about Milk and Cookies Bakery for a long while and once I popped in to try a cookie, I was hitting myself why I waited so long! 

Hot chocolate chip cookies, the smell just was too much for one to handle. These were really good and different from others I have tried. I will be back. Very soon! 

Rocco's bakery is one of my favorites and they have some of the best cannoli you will enjoy! 

The selection here is mind blowing! Be warned. 

It doesn't get any better than this, does it ? 

Don't miss out on visiting the village and make it a fun time to do your own food tour! Here are the addresses of all the places I mentioned, add it to your Google Maps and you are ready to go!


Joe's Pizza                              7 Carmine Street (between 6th Avenue & Bleecker Street)
Rocco's Italian Pastry Shop   243 Bleecker St (between 6th & 7th Avenue)
Faicco's                                  260 Bleecker Street
Pesce Pasta                            262 Bleecker Street (between 6th & 7th Avenue)
Rafele                                    29 7th Ave South (between Morton & Bedford Sts)
Milk & Cookies Bakery       19 Commerce St (between 7th Ave & Bedford Sts)

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Patavini Gnocchi Bar

One of my visit to the city found an amazing new spot near Columbus Circle. One of my favorite pasta's are gnocchi as I used to make them with my Mom. I still need to try them on my own, and very soon, as nothing like fresh made. Little to my surprise, I found a gnocchi bar! Oh this is quite extraordinary!  

They make them fresh and you can purchase either cooked with sauce or take home to cook yourself. I was quite confused as to what flavors to try, they did have samples and they were pretty fantastic. When you order gnocchi out, it can be heavy if not made correctly. This one was very light and delish!  

A few tables inside but mostly for take out.  

The colors are just wonderful and so many unique flavors as well.  

I need to try the porcini next time, I took home the tomato and spinach, which would be pretty for the holidays!  

There is nothing like fresh made pasta.  

The boxes are quite lovely as well.  

Pumpkin !!  

These little ones in the front are made the same way but smaller, would be great for kids as well as adults!  

I love the little tri-color ones!  

I didn't get to try these little desserts but I am sure they are pretty amazing.  

I made mine by boiling and then in a fry pan, added EVOO, garlic and red pepper flakes. I just added the gnocchi and waited until they all became a bit browned and then took them out to enjoy. It is an easy way to eat them without sauce and a very quick meal. Some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the top and you are in pasta heaven! 

Patavini Gnocchi Bar 

1794 Broadway (near Columbus Circle) 

New York, New York

Open Daily 11am-9pm

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